Possible score on 55 Gal drum of WW

[Degan]

Hey guys,

I may have a score on a 55 gal drum full of WW from a buddy of mine who has a friend that owns a tire shop. They usually just take their stuff to a salvage yard and get a little for the scraps. How much weight does a full 55 gal drum of WW weight? If this works out, he may become my local supplier of WW. Whats a good price to offer, should it be per pound or per 5 gal bucket full? Man, this feels like a treasure hunt for this noob caster.

[mold maker]

Check the price paid by your local scrap yard. Offering that price will give both of you a bargain. They wont have to load and haul to the scrap yard, while you wont be paying to do the same.
Take lots of buckets, gloves, and a set of hand trucks. Be prepared for lots of work getting it all loaded and unloaded. Half buckets handle lots easier.
I'd show up, Pizza in hand, as a thank you, and an incentive toward the next buy.
As rare as WWs are getting, it would be worth borrowing the cash if necessary. If you don't, somebody else gladly will.

[shooterg]

Taking it away by the bucket also gives you the chance to disgard the occasional dead alternator, starter/etc. that always ends up in those barrels !

[Degan]

I just called the local scrap yard and their paying $0.25/Lb. So I'll offer him similar. Hopefully we can work out a deal. 1800 Lbs is alot more than I thought.

[Scott_In_OKC]

I just called the local scrap yard and their paying $0.25/Lb. So I'll offer him similar. Hopefully we can work out a deal. 1800 Lbs is alot more than I thought.

The last FULL 5 gallon bucket I bought was 172 lbs. So you figure ELEVEN times that is 1892 lbs. Nice score!

[felix]

Best to figure 100 finished pounds per 5 gallon bucket, full or not. Reason is when the bucket is to be moved from the work station to the back yard (when "full") the bucket must be light enough for the weakest employee working that line. ... felix

[Patrick L]

55 gallon drum???!!!

God, I hate you!

[CATS]

You will want a couple pairs of leather gloves, a short shovel, a good garden trowel and one of those three tine garden tools to help dig those WW loose. You may find that a dust pan is good to rake them into until you get the level low enough to tip the barrel over so you can use the shovel. Bending over into a drum is going to be fun.

[JIMinPHX]

Bring about 15 empty 5-gallon buckets with you unless you have a forklift available to move that drum. Plan on making 2 trips if you are using a regular 1/2 or 3/4 ton pick up truck.

[KYCaster]

1200 lbs. + depending on how much garbage is in it. It would have to be squeaky clean and overflowing to hold 1800 lbs. I've never been that lucky.

A tow strap around the top of the barrel tied to the trailer hitch....tip it over on the pavement, rake it out and shovel into buckets.

Around here steel/zinc weights are becoming more common.....50% in the last batch I bought. Barely worth the trouble at .25/lb. and they can't be found for twice that price.

Jerry

[Uncle Jimbo]

Check the price paid by your local scrap yard. Offering that price will give both of you a bargain. They wont have to load and haul to the scrap yard, while you wont be paying to do the same.
Take lots of buckets, gloves, and a set of hand trucks. Be prepared for lots of work getting it all loaded and unloaded. Half buckets handle lots easier.
I'd show up, Pizza in hand, as a thank you, and an incentive toward the next buy.
As rare as WWs are getting, it would be worth borrowing the cash if necessary. If you don't, somebody else gladly will.

mold maker has the right idea. This will go forward toward the next purchase.


Taking it away by the bucket also gives you the chance to disgard the occasional dead alternator, starter/etc. that always ends up in those barrels !

shooterg has the right idea also about taking it away.

Hope it works out for you.

[shadowcaster]

I see 1800# as being a bit high. Probably is really somewhere between 1200# and 1500# depending on how tightly packed and how much extra junk. Still an excellent find though. :) 25 cents a pound is what I would offer.

Shad

[imashooter2]

Depending on where you live, you could lose 30 - 50% in steel and zinc.

[Degan]

I just moved to Texas so I don't know the lead laws here if its banned or not like other states.

[imashooter2]

Lead WW are not banned in Texas. But steel and zinc are coming in everywhere as manufacturers stop production of lead and switch the lines over to weights they can sell anywhere.

[Degan]

OK spoke with the guy, he says he wants $0.35/Lbs. I was hoping he'd go for .25 but do you guys think its still worth it? I told him I want to cull only the lead WW and don't want the others ones or should I take the steal ones and zinc ones too and salvage those?

[D Crockett]

OK spoke with the guy, he says he wants $0.35/Lbs. I was hoping he'd go for .25 but do you guys think its still worth it? I told him I want to cull only the lead WW and don't want the others ones or should I take the steal ones and zinc ones too and salvage those? if he will let you sort them just to get the lead ww I would do it . lead is just going to cost more in the future years ago I had a chance to get 3 tons of ww for $0.20/lb wish I had done that now . I would not need to scroung lead now. but $0.35/lb is a good price D Crockett

[Rooster]

At 35c/lb for around 1400# would be close to $500. I'd put four Ben's under his nose to watch it twitch and keep a little change in my left pocket j.i.c. he's greedy and to tip the helpers who would have to load it into the back of my truck. Man it even hurts to think about that part.

[lwknight]

Degan , at $0.35 per pound you can't get hurt. You can resell the zinc weights and if you shop around there are scrapyards that will pay upwards of 60 cents for lead and zinc.

What KyCaster said about tipping the barrel over is spot on the best way to work with it.
You can rake out a load that you can handle and keep working little at a time.
You will actually get to the bottom in a reasonably short time.

I pulled out of the barrel till it got low then I dumped it over and raked the rest. Except I scored 400 pounds of hidden linotype in my barrel bwahhahahaw!!

I guess you uns hate me too lol.

[H.Callahan]

I guess you uns hate me too lol.
Yup!

:kidding:

[bld451]

Careful when you tip the barrel. Especially if it's near an overhead door or outside. Steel barrels rust from the bottom. Not such a big deal to pull it off and rake the mess away, but then you have to replace the barrel and be embarrassed, and ........maybe it was his Grandpaw's barrel....... :)

[JIMinPHX]

OK spoke with the guy, he says he wants $0.35/Lbs. I was hoping he'd go for .25 but do you guys think its still worth it? I told him I want to cull only the lead WW and don't want the others ones or should I take the steal ones and zinc ones too and salvage those?

If you don't get to sort first & you pay $0.35/lb, by the time you get rid of the zinc, clips, etc., you are probably looking at around $0.75/lb for the lead itself. You can buy ingots that someone else already smelted for around $1/lb. The choice is yours.